STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Tears were shed on Tuesday at Gloria Fields' sentencing in state Supreme Court, St. George, for first-degree murder in a toddler's torture death.

Harsh words were spoken in the audience.

Rage was tamped down beneath a mountain of grief.

And, finally, there was applause.

A spontaneous burst of clapping from about 20 members of little Anthony Delgado's family when, after Justice Wayne Ozzi sentenced Fields to 23 years to life for sexually abusing and fatally torturing the 17-month-old boy she was babysitting two years ago, the judge also said there's "no guarantee" the Concord resident would be released in 23 years.

"That poor child never had a chance in your hands," Ozzi had said moments earlier, lighting into the defendant before imposing sentence. ... "Why would anyone want to do this to an innocent 17-month-old child? To me, that just shows you were wicked and cruel."

Castro wore a shirt with Anthony's photo on the front and back. On the front, a crown topped the little boy's head; on the back, it was an angel's halo.

Castro and Delgado held onto each other and wept.

'NEVER SEE HIS SMILING FACE'

"I will never get to see his smiling face," Castro read from Delgado's statement. "I don't think that I'll ever stop grieving his loss ... Since he's gone, the house is abnormally dark."

Ozzi called the case "the most disturbing" one he's ever presided over.

Earlier this month, Fields pleaded guilty to the top charge of a 12-count indictment accusing her of causing Anthony's death over the course of three days by acting in an "especially cruel and wanton manner ... intended to inflict and inflicting torture" on the child.

Prosecutors said those acts included sticking a six-inch Crayola pencil up the victim's rectum.

Prosecutors said Fields tortured and sexually abused the defenseless toddler between Friday, Feb. 19 through Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, before he died.

According to testimony at a pretrial hearing last year, the defendant voluntarily admitted her guilt, including sexually assaulting the tot, as detectives confronted her with the results of their ongoing investigation.

Fields, who had been using heroin and smoking marijuana while the child was in her care, also slammed his face onto the floor while he was strapped into his stroller, and struck him on the head numerous times, according to court documents.

The incidents occurred at various times inside the apartment building where the defendant and victim lived, and inside Buffalo Exchange, a used clothing store on East 11th Street in Manhattan, prosecutors said.

ANGRY AT CHILD'S RELATIVE

Fields told investigators she was angry over the loss of custody of her own child after the victim's grandmother reported her to the city Administration for Children's Services, according to a videotaped recording of her interrogation by police which was played at a pretrial hearing last year.

She said she hurt the boy to get back at his grandmother.

The proceeding was emotional, and, at times, tense.

Fields had initially refused to leave a holding cell next to the courtroom to attend her sentencing. Her lawyer, Mario F. Gallucci, told the judge she didn't want to be photographed or videotaped by the media in the courtroom.

"She shouldn't have a life. That baby doesn't have a life," one woman said lowly.

But the defendant relented after Ozzi assured her he wouldn't allow her photo to be taken - and after he had Gallucci inform her he might have her forcibly escorted into the courtroom if she didn't enter of her own accord.

Ozzi cautioned against any outbursts before Fields walked into the room.

Garbed in a white T-shirt and tan pants, Fields declined to make a statement before sentencing.

She has gained a considerable amount of weight while incarcerated.

In her statement, Delgado, the victim's mother, spoke of the pain of not watching Anthony grow up with his brother, of never buying him another bag of Cheese Doodles, his favorite food, and of days when she can't motivate herself to get out of bed.

Anthony's death impacts not merely her family, but "ripples across the entirety of the country," her statement said.

Outside court, Gallucci said the case was one of the toughest he's ever had to defend.

"It's unfortunate. It's sad," he said. "There's no winner here."

With regard to the crimes, Fields, he said, was remorseful.

"She says she can't believe she did it, that she was high on drugs," said Gallucci.

Eddie Castro, 31, the victim's uncle, called the sentence "a resolution to the crime."

But, he added, "It's not a resolution to anyone's feelings."

Both Castro and his twin brother, Emanuel Castro, said they believed "justice was served" for Anthony, although Emanuel Castro said he would have preferred a "full life sentence."

In a statement, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said, "This defendant deserves to spend the rest of her life in prison for the atrocious and sickening crimes she committed, and today's sentence ensures just that."

"No family should ever have to experience the loss of a child in this way, and the entire D.A.'s office continues to send our thoughts and prayers to the family of the young victim," said McMahon.

The district attorney also thanked Assistant District Attorneys Wanda DeOliveira and Timothy Richard "for all of their hard work successfully prosecuting this case."